Dashboards For University Administration

by Sanket Nadhani, FusionChartsMonday, September 14, 2009

Universities not only impart education, but also play an active role in the enhancement of knowledge through the empowerment of research. Therefore, managing a university is an extremely challenging task as it involves the balancing of resources and the appropriate allocation of manpower. Most universities operate with an extremely large and complex organizational structure which is broadly segmented into schools or departments. Hence, identifying and monitoring key metrics is as crucial for the university administration as it is for the top management of small and large corporations.
The performance metrics of a university can be classified into the following fundamental groups:

Student

Faculty

Finance

Research

Students

The reputation of a university depends on the quality of education that is imparted to its students - there are a number of qualitative methods that can be employed for analyzing the quality of education. However, to determine it quantitatively, one can compare quantities such as total enrollment, FTE enrollment and graduate enrollment with the first-year retention rate and the number of degrees and PhDs awarded.

Not all students who enroll in a university course end up earning a degree; many drop out at the end of the first year and there is a vast difference in the number of annual enrollment and the number of degrees awarded each year. By contrasting these figures, one can estimate the level of performance exhibited by the students which in turn helps in judging the quality of education imparted. The main performance metrics pertaining to students and their performance can be enumerated in the following manner:

Enrollment (total, FTE and graduate enrollments)

First year retention rate

Number of degrees and PhDs awarded

Faculty

The faculty of an institution is often the main determinant in the quality of the institution as well as pivotal in deciding which direction the university is heading. Faculties are mainly segregated into qualification–wise divisions and also into part-time and full-time fellows. As an employer, it is also mandatory for the institution to keep the satisfaction level of the faculty high enough to ensure that they do not consider leaving for another university. In the same mode, it is important to maintain a staff who are proficient researchers and keep the inquisitive spirit of the university at an all time high. These are the main metrics that should be considered while tabulating faculty-related data: